Regs here require 30 days prior and any residual in the dirt be removed or covered if near hunting area. Just FYI for future.
Mineral and salt are listed as bait under deer hunting regs. The time frame was told to me by a C.O. Read about the problems Joe Frantz had. His sites were covered, but they said not early enough. Just saying, you need to really be careful. If any doubts, ask your C.O.
From what I gather it sounds like it's entirely up to the C.O's jurisdiction as to whether or not that mineral site aided in helping you harvest the deer. Would that be fair to say? The picture of my deer by a salt block was taken by the neighbor over a mile away in early September (I had no trail cam pics of my buck). So, I'm not concerned about my harvest in the slightest. This is, however, an interesting topic that I'd like to get to the bottom of.
I would say that it is definitely a vague area of our game laws. Drury's got pinched for "forgetting" a mineral rock out in a food plot a few years ago.
